When does obsession
become madness? Tragedy has forced sixteen-year-old Victor Frankenstein
to swear off alchemy forever. He burns the Dark Library. He vows he will
never dabble in the dark sciences again ? just as he vows he will no
longer covet Elizabeth, his brother's betrothed. If only these things
were not so tempting. When he and Elizabeth discover a portal into the
spirit world, they cannot resist. Together with Victor's twin, Konrad,
and their friend Henry, the four venture into a place of infinite
possibilities where power and passion reign. But as they search for the
knowledge to raise the dead, they unknowingly unlock a darkness from
which they may never return.

--

This review was designed to be spoiler-free; however, spoilers from the first book might be revealed...

Such Wicked Intent was one of the ARCs I was fortunate to get at ALA Midwinter, and after being completely captivated by This Dark Endeavor, I had to know what was going to happen next.

This second installment in the Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein picks up almost immediately where Endeavor
left off. If you've read that novel, you know what I'm talking about.
And while Oppel's writing style was just as strong, I'm not sure the
story captivated me as much. The main area of study in This Dark Endeavor
was alchemy (I don't think that's a spoiler), and Victor tried to use
alchemical means to save his brother's life. Now the area of study has
shifted to what I can only think to call paranormal mysticism - spirit
boards and attempts to reach "the great beyond" or whatever. And
whenever one encounters spirits, one also encounters commentary about
life after death and so forth. That's one of the things I don't like to
see even in a fictional novel, because even in a fictional story, I
can't help but think that any type of spirit world (and all its rules
and workings) is just bass-ackwards. As a result, I was never as
engrossed in the story as I was with This Dark Endeavor, mainly because in SWI I spent a great deal of my reading experience being confused, highly skeptical, or just downright uncomfortable.The
characters weren't as likeable as I remembered, either. I mentioned
Victor's megalomaniac personality and his intense need for approval
dueling with his sensitive, well intentioned and sometimes compassionate
nature. Those were the qualities that endeared me to him. But here,
Victor was mainly just a bully and a narcissist who sauntered through
the novel getting his way by forcing his will on everyone else.
Likewise, Elizabeth wasn't near as likeable as in the first installment.
Between perfect Konrad and brooding Victor, Elizabeth was presented as
the voice of reason - she was spiritual to their scientific,
level-headed to their impulsive. But in this installment, Elizabeth took
on an obsessive and borderline crazy personality. I'm serious - even
Bellatrix Lestrange would think Elizabeth was one weird chick. But even for all its shortcomings (and I'm being honest - that's what they were), Such Wicked Intent's saving grace was in its commentary. I've said before in reviews that what gets me going is not so much the content in a book, but the message behind the content, or the approving or disapproving way in which it's portrayed. What made SWI
so brilliant was the feeling of watching an impending trainwreck in
slow-motion. Any reader who knows more than a little about Frankenstein
ultimately knows what grand finale we're moving towards. And as bummed
out as I was that Victor lost a lot of his likeability with me, I loved
seeing the intensity give way to madness. I may not necessarily like
Victor any more, but I still understand him.

The previous book in the series, This Dark Endeavor, will be one of the Texas Lone Star books for the 2012-2013 year. Good choice, TX librarians!

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Deadweather and Sunrise,
the first installment in the new "Chronicles of Egg" series, is exactly
the kind of book I had been desperate to read: exciting and
action-packed, witty, heartfelt, and rather sophisticated. After being
disappointed and underwhelmed by novels in the older, "teen fiction," I
decided to go back to the younger end of the YA spectrum (a la Artemis Fowl, Percy Jackson
and the like). The book reminded me of what I consider to be the
"Golden Age" of Young Adult fiction, from 2001-2008, a time in which
similarly well-written, exciting and authentic novels were being
published. I think that author Geoff Rodkey really has a winner with
this one, and I definitely think he's in the same company as Eoin
Colfer, Michael Scott, Jonathan Stroud and Rick Riordan as far as style.
D&S is also a prime example of why I wish there was a
better term for novels that are marketed to the younger-than-teenagers
crowd - "middle grade" doesn't seem to cut it. It's been my experience
that a lot of readers pass over such books because of a misconception
that they're somehow "juvenile," and in fact, lately I've gotten the
impression that when it comes to publishers and [adult] readers, the
"middle grade" label has a sort of stepchild status. I have to say, D&S
is one of the most original, authentic and well-written BOOKS that I've
read in months. Even though I get why Putnam labeled it grades 3-5 for
marketing reasons, I would definitely categorize this novel as perfect
for the middle school/preteen crowd and beyond. In my opinion, this novel is too mature to warrant an elementary grade leveling.
The
novel centers around the young Egbert (called "Egg"), who lives a
thankless life on his quasi-negligent father's ugly fruit plantation on
the pitiful island of Deadweather (which reminded me of Houston in the
summer). By chance, Egg winds up on the beautiful but treacherous island
of Sunrise, where he draws the attention of a ruthless tycoon, meets
and becomes infatuated with said tycoon's daughter (a delightful
character with a not-so-delightful name of "Millicent"), is wrongly
accused of murder (it's a bit complicated) and soon finds himself caught
up in the dangerous world of rival pirate gangs. I appreciated that the
pirates in question weren't portrayed as harmless, goofy caricatures
(like that silly stop-motion flick The Pirates or that even sillier live-action flick, Hook) but as actually mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Even the pirates of Pirates of the Caribbean were more mild than the ones presented here. And I liked that. Like I said, D&S
had a sort of sophistication to it that I don't see in a lot of novels
nowadays. This wasn't just an "oh-how-cute" book. I found myself
absolutely absorbed in the story and felt a connection to the main
characters. Also, there were several times throughout the novel when
Rodkey completely had me guessing what would happen next. After the slew
of predictable and formulaic teen-fiction novels I'd read recently,
that was a welcome change.
What I want prospective readers to know about Deadweather and Sunrise
is how fun and authentic it is. Please don't let the illustrated cover
design fool you - this book has way more going for it than you may
assume. I don't think it's premature in the least to say that the
"Chronicles of Egg" looks to be one of the most promising new series
I've seen in the last 2-3 years. Like I said, D&S has a
very authentic feel to it, but it also has a sophistication and a sort
of maturity to it that I can't quite describe. There were several times
when I was absolutely nervous for the characters and the
situation they were in. And I think that's the mark of a truly gifted
author: someone who's able to get the reader to really feel for the
characters and what's going on in the story. They also skillfully employ
allusions and innuendos in order to create an emotional reaction,
rather than pander to the audience by resorting to edgy or TMI
scenarios. Hats off to Geoff Rodkey!
I have no idea how I'm going to quell the need for the next installment! What I do know is that I've found a real winner with Deadweather and Sunrise, and I will definitely be recommending this novel to my students.